June 30, Day 181

Today's Reading

2 Chronicles. I was moved by the startling contrast in today's reading.  In Chapter 20, we see God intervene in a powerful, miraculous way and save His people under Jehoshaphat.  Jehoshaphat's son Jehoram had his own brothers murdered to make sure none of them took the kingdom from him.  When Jehoram died, his son Ahaziah was king for just a short time before he was killed as a result of God's judgment.  Jehoram's wife Athaliah stole the kingdom and had her own grandchildren slaughtered so she could keep it for herself.

From Jehoshaphat to Athaliah in two generations!  But God would have none of it.  He spared the life of a boy who was to become king of Judah.  Wow!

June 29, Day 180

Today's Reading

Each of today's chapters are about the same event: the death of Ahab.  I can't help but wonder how Jehoshaphat, a good king who sought God, could fall so easily into Ahab's schemes.   The New Testament says that bad company corrupts good morals.  Ahab was bad company.

June 28, Day 179

Today's Reading

1 Kings. Can you imagine the depth of sinfulness seen in the lives of Ahab and Jezebel?  What would you do if you lived under their rule?

June 27, Day 178

Today's Reading

1 Kings. Elijah was called to be a prophet to wicked Israel.  At the same time, Judah was far less wicked.  I thought about that as I pondered this passage.  God sets us in the time and place where He wants us to serve.  He doesn't necessarily call us to an easy place.  He simply calls us to walk with Him where we are.

June 26, Day 177

Today's Reading

I like the contrast today.  Israel was running farther and father from God.  Each king seemed more evil that the one preceding him.  In the meantime, God was raising up kings in Judah who became examples through the ages.  Jehoshaphat was deeply committed to the ways of the Lord and made sure that teachers carried God's Word throughout the land.  "Then the fear of the Lord fell over all the surrounding kingdoms so that none of them wanted to declare war on Jehoshaphat." (2 Chronicles 17:10 NLT)

June 25, Day 176

Today's Reading

The account of King Asa always makes me wary.  After seeking and trusting in the Lord for so many years, he hardened his heart at the end.  O God, I want to keep my heart longing for You and Your ways!

June 24, Day 175

Today's Reading

2 Chronicles. Did you notice the act of true repentance in Chapter 12?  Did you notice God's response?  "5 The prophet Shemaiah then met with Rehoboam and Judah’s leaders, who had all fled to Jerusalem because of Shishak. Shemaiah told them, “This is what the LORD says: You have abandoned me, so I am abandoning you to Shishak.” 6 Then the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The LORD is right in doing this to us!” 7 When the LORD saw their change of heart, he gave this message to Shemaiah: “Since the people have humbled themselves, I will not completely destroy them and will soon give them some relief. I will not use Shishak to pour out my anger on Jerusalem." 2 Chronicles 12:5-7 (NLT) That's what true repentance looks like.  It's not, "I'm sorry you have a problem with me."  It's not, "Oops!"  It's, "The LORD is right!"  A change of heart follows.

June 23, Day 174

Today's Reading

1 Kings. I found myself thinking today about the danger of co-opting one's values for political expedience.  The people of Israel joined Jeroboam's revolt against Rehoboam because they wanted nothing to do with a tyrant king.  What they got in his place was a pagan king.  Surely there were some followers of the true God who shouted, "Down with Rehoboam; long live Israel!"  Then they suffered through the results of their choice.  It reminds me of a woman who voted for a particular president because of his religious affiliation, then watched his administration repeatedly demolish the values she held dear.

I have spent years trying to understand the old prophet who tricked the prophet of God into eating and -- thereby -- losing his life. The best I have so far is that the old man was not fully serving God only. Duplicity had become common in Israel in this days and it's possible that the old man listened to whatever spirit he chose at any given time. His grief at the death of the other was because they shared a certain bond since both were prophets.

June 22, Day 173

Today's Reading

Proverbs. "The words of Agur..." I have always thought this to be an addendum to the proverbs of Solomon.  I just discovered that some scholars thing Agur was a word describing Solomon, who actually wrote these verses.  We won't know this side of heaven.  What we do know is that Proverbs 31 is one of the most beautiful, quoted passages in the Bible.

June 21, Day 172

Today's Reading

As I read today's passages, I reflected on how glad I was that we just read Ecclesiastes.  Reading 1 Kings 10 and 2 Chronicles 9 can leave you with the thought that Solomon really had it together.  He knew how to "create" wealth; he was a master at organization.  People showed up with lavish gifts, just to hang out around him.  I wonder if he had a Donald Trump hairstyle!  THEN I thought of his words in Ecclesiastes. He was rich, famous and miserable.  None of that gold made him happy.  His palace was a testament to his misery.  NO WORLDLY WEALTH CAN BRING THE JOY OF KNOWING GOD AND DOING HIS WILL!

1 Kings 10 rounds out the picture of the rich king who kept looking for happiness and couldn't find it.  He ended up being drawn into every perverted form of worship available to him.  It would be as if we worshiped Jesus on Sunday, Gaia (the goddess representing mother earth) on Monday, wicca on Tuesday, our ancestors on Wednesday, and so on.  All this from the son of a man after God's own heart.

My heart is broken just thinking about it.

 

June 20, Day 171

Today's Reading

Ecclesiastes. "I discovered that a seductive woman is a trap more bitter than death. Her passion is a snare, and her soft hands are chains. Those who are pleasing to God will escape her, but sinners will be caught in her snare." (Ecclesiastes 7:26 NLT)  Solomon discovered this the hard way.  His search for joy throughout this book tells me that he was already ensnared, having lost the joy of his salvation.  That doesn't change the value of the powerful messages found here.

June 19, Day 170

Today's Reading

Ecclesiastes. These writings of Solomon seem to be some of his life observations as he got older. It's important to remember that Solomon was very wise, but he never received the description, "man after God's own heart" like his father did. Solomon also made the mistake of attempting to fill his life with the things of this world; some of his Ecclesiastes statements attest to the futility of that choice. How do these first chapters affect you? Do they produce enthusiasm in you or do you find them rather depressing?

June 18, Day 169

Today's Reading

Proverbs. On occasion I have watched movies in which people prepare for an approaching hurricane.  They nail windows shut, then cover them with boards and/or shutters.  They make sure any loose things is fastened down, secure against the storm; it's a frenzy of activity.  I thought of that as I read Proverbs today.  Various verses in today's passage have helped secure my life in preparation for storms.  Of interest to me is that I found more of those "life fasteners" in Chapter 27 than the other two chapters combined.

June 17, Day 168

Today's Reading

Proverbs. These are more proverbs of Solomon, collected by the advisers of King Hezekiah of Judah. (Proverbs 25:1 NLT) Hezekiah lived many generations after Solomon. He is introduced in 2 Chronicles 25:1 (NLT) with these words: Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became the king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. A good king, Hezekiah organized the people who cared for the temple (among many righteous acts); no doubt some of them found scrolls of writings from Solomon as they dug through the dusty old storage places. These were collected and recorded us for in these latter chapters of Proverbs.

June 16, Day 167

Today's Reading

Solomon moved his wife, Pharaoh's daughter, from the City of David to the new palace he had built for her. He said, "My wife must not live in King David's palace, for the Ark of the Lord has been there, and it is holy ground." (2 Chronicles 8:11 NLT) Here's the picture of Solomon making sure the Temple was completed (it took 20 years!) and that they had adequate staff to keep it up and running. In the meantime, he was occupying towns outside Jerusalem to take care of his horses and chariots. He had ships out seeking and finding gold. What a well-run kingdom! In fact, it was so "well-run" that he failed to notice his own disobedience in taking foreign wives and subjecting himself to their false religions. He kept them from the Temple, but he didn't keep himself to them; the whole nation fell apart because of his failure.

June 15, Day 166

Today's Reading

Psalms. What a great way to begin the day! Psalms of praise to our God.

June 14, Day 165

Today's Reading

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NLT) Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. This really says it all, doesn't it?

June 13, Day 164

Today's Reading

1 Kings. One thing Solomon clearly got right during this part of his life was that people are prone to sin and stray from God. In their sinning, they can encounter the pain of judgment and, possibly, decide to repent. Solomon's eloquent prayer of dedication surely guided later generations who were in the midst of sorrow and knew they could turn toward the Temple (representing God's presence) and cry out in repentance for help.

June 12, Day 163

Today's Reading

2 Chronicles. It seems like there's is always something I didn't see before. I'm not sure how big the swimming pools in many backyards are, but I think of their size when I read the description of the "sea" in the temple. Then I noticed this: He also made ten smaller basins for washing the utensils for the burnt offerings. He set five on the south side and five on the north. But the priests washed themselves in the Sea. 2 Chronicles 4:6 (NLT) The priests WASHED THEMSELVES in the Sea. They had the biggest bathtub in the land!

June 11, Day 162

Today's Reading

1 Kings, 2 Chronicles. As I read about the bargain between Solomon and Hiram, I realized that we were getting a glimpse into ancient international negotiations. It's also interesting to note that Huram-abi, the craftsman assigned to oversee the work would, in modern times be living a life of mixed race (ancient Tyre was part of modern Lebanon) and most likely be rejected by those on both sides.

I love seeing things I hadn't really noticed before! They stood on their feet and faced out toward the main room of the Temple. (2 Chronicles 3:13 NLT) This reminded me of the way secret service personnel surround the president and face outward from him. There's nothing new...

June 10, Day 161

Today's Reading

Proverbs. "The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked." (Proverbs 24:16 NLT) Great hope when life knocks you down!

June 9, Day 160

Today's Reading

Proverbs. The only complaint I have about reading Proverbs this way is that it goes by so fast.  It's like trying to get a drink from a fire hose.  Here is a simple truth that Solomon surely learned from his father David: "The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer him sacrifices." (Proverbs 21:3 NLT) David knew that offering sacrifices in lieu of obedience had been Saul's great sin.  It's a critical lesson for me.

June 8, Day 159

Today's Reading

Proverbs. Today's chapters are a treasure trove of verses, several of which are often quoted (and sometimes misquoted).  My 85-year-old mom told me that she's just getting used to the accurate "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall", one of the most frequent of misquoted Bible verses.  For me, today's "verse" was, "Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children." (Proverbs 17:6 NLT) To put it simply, I'm proud of my grandkids!  I'm also proud of my parents; too bad I gave them such grief when I was young!

June 7, Day 158

Today's Reading

Proverbs 14:27 (NLT) Fear of the Lord is a life-giving fountain; it offers escape from the snares of death.  I'm hanging on to this one as I write this.  A close friend is having very serious surgery today.

June 6, Day 157

Today's Reading

Proverbs today begins a long series of chapters chocked full of verses to contrast the righteous and the wicked.  Think about a subject which calls for a distinction between right and wrong.  I believe you will be able to find that distinction in the following chapters.

June 5, Day 156

Today's Reading

Proverbs continues, today with another warning about immorality (pretty serious subject, huh!) and the voice of wisdom calling out for us to listen.  Good stuff!

June 4, Day 155

Today's Reading

Proverbs today contains two of the significant themes that are refreshed over and over in the book: sex and money.  Solomon warns about sexual temptations with graphic descriptions of the pain they bring.  "Security for a friend's debt" is what we do by cosigning a note.  Legally, the person who cosigns must pay if the borrower defaults.  If you don't pay, it will go on your credit record.  Cathy and I almost learned that the hard way many years ago.  Fortunately we found out about the defaulted loan just in time to make a payment; then the borrower got caught up with the bank plus paid us back.  It was still an important lesson and brings Proverbs alive for us.

June 3, Day 154

Today's Reading

Proverbs.  This book introduces itself with a clearly stated purpose.  We might call it the "Purpose Driven" book of the Bible...1 These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel. 2 Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise. 3 Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair. Proverbs 1:1-3 (NLT)

I have often traveled east in the early morning for a quick day trip to Phoenix and back.  Sometimes the sunrise is obscured by clouds low in the Eastern sky.  Suddenly, it seems, shafts of sunlight appear like spears of gold slicing through the clouds.  Proverbs is like that for me.  The shafts of God's light slice through the clouds of my mind.

June 2, Day 153

Today's Reading

Song of Solomon is rich, descriptive poetry. Many scholars believe it is about our love relationship with God. More recently, scholars have interpreted it as about romantic, marital love. The young man was Solomon. He and his young bride celebrated their passion.  This little book contains a very descriptive story about marital love. It includes loneliness and dreams, hopes and fears. It adds in the occasional warning: "Don't awaken love before it's time." In other words, wait for the physical expression of love until after the commitment of a lifetime together in marriage.

 

June 1, Day 152

Today's Reading

2 Chronicles. I have read with interest about the periods of reconstruction following war.  After WWII, much of our nation got busy with building the nation.  Homes, autos and businesses were being built at a feverish pace.  That's what was happening at the beginning of Solomon's reign.